She didn't deliver on her promise, yet she still wanted benefits?
Tang Lan simply shut his mouth and sat in silence.
Qian Renxue waited… and waited…
But Tang Lan never spoke up.
And soon, she realized why.
A faint trace of irritation flickered in her heart.
—She had spent weeks negotiating for the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud.
She had to convince Emperor Xue Ye to approve its use as a tournament prize.
She even took away the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's guaranteed finals spot and offered it up as compensation.
And he wasn't even going to acknowledge it?!
But no matter how irritated she was,
Qian Renxue had been an undercover spy for years—this level of patience was nothing.
She merely stood up, her expression calm.
"You must be busy after returning, Little Lan. I'll take my leave for now."
Tang Lan also stood and walked with her.
"I'll walk you out."
Qian Renxue didn't refuse.
As they walked,
She casually brought up—
"I heard you offered a 10,000-year soul bone as an internal reward for the tournament?"
Tang Lan raised an eyebrow.
"Huh? Only a handful of people knew about that—who leaked it?"
"But it's just a soul bone, Qinghe. If you want it, I'll give it to you."
He casually pulled out the Tiger-Eagle Left Arm Bone and handed it over.
Qian Renxue's expression stiffened.
How could she possibly take it?
She already had the full set of Seraphim Soul Bones.
If she absorbed another soul bone, her entire martial soul would be crippled!
And giving it to someone else?
Neither "Xue Qinghe" nor "Qian Renxue" could do that.
Tang Lan knew this perfectly well.
That's why he had offered it so generously.
Qian Renxue's expression relaxed slightly.
She politely pushed the soul bone back.
"You're joking, Little Lan."
"A soul bone is precious, but breaking your promise isn't acceptable either."
"Actually, I happened to acquire a soul bone recently. Why don't you use it as an additional tournament prize?"
With a flicker of light from her storage ring,
A blue-green right leg bone appeared in her hand.
"This is a 6,000-year-old Feilian Silver Fox Right Leg Bone. I won't bore you with the specifics of the beast's abilities."
Tang Lan was pleasantly surprised.
He had only intended to tease her a little—
But she actually gave him a gift in return?
"Then on behalf of my disciples, I thank you, Qinghe."
Tang Lan grinned.
"With such generosity from you, I can't be stingy either."
He took the soul bone,
Then conjured a small glowing orb of spiritual energy, letting it float toward Qian Renxue.
Qian Renxue's eyes flashed with caution.
She hesitated, stalling for time—
"A mental energy transmission? Directly implanting information into the brain… even Title Douluo can't necessarily do this. You truly continue to surprise me, Little Lan!"
Tang Lan shrugged humbly.
"Just a minor trick. It's nothing special."
Meanwhile,
He sensed a faint ripple of mental energy.
It came from one of Qian Renxue's guards.
As expected.
It was one of her Title Douluo bodyguards, secretly analyzing the energy sphere for any hidden dangers.
Tang Lan wasn't worried.
He wasn't stupid enough to tamper with it so obviously—
That would be like jumping straight into a wolf's mouth.
Once Qian Renxue confirmed it was safe,
She absorbed the spiritual orb.
Nine Yang Divine Skill—First Three Layers: Acquired!
As she began to process the information,
Tang Lan stepped closer and placed a hand on her back.
In a low voice, he whispered—
"Don't resist. I'll guide you through it."
Qian Renxue flinched slightly but held back the instinct to attack.
Instead, she suppressed most of her soul power—
After all, she was secretly a Rank 61 Soul Emperor, which didn't match Xue Qinghe's identity.
At the same time,
She signaled her hidden guards to stand down.
Tang Lan's internal energy flowed into her body—
Not making any sudden moves.
"Qinghe, you've already completed the first layer of the Nine Yang Divine Skill."
"Good."
"Now, I'll guide you into the second layer—Body Refinement."
"Follow my energy flow."
Tang Lan patiently guided Qian Renxue, acting like a diligent teacher.
But in secret…
A tiny Soul Seed, infused with his spiritual imprint, slipped into Qian Renxue's body.
Disguised by the burning energy of Nine Yang Divine Skill,
It entered her soul without her even noticing.
Qian Renxue's entire focus was on the sensation of Nine Yang Divine Skill flowing through her.
This pure, blazing energy—
It was even purer than her grandfather Qian Daoliu's Holy Light Soul Power!
If Qian Daoliu's power was the early morning sun, bright and radiant—
Then Tang Lan's energy was the blazing midday sun, scorching and intense.
Absolutely perfect for her Seraphim Martial Soul!
She even thought—
If the Holy Angel Legion switched to cultivating Nine Yang Divine Skill,
Their collective power would skyrocket!
She was so overwhelmed by excitement that she failed to notice a foreign spiritual imprint had already settled within her soul.
Tang Lan smirked inwardly.
With the Soul Seed planted,
Qian Renxue was no longer a threat.
And then…
The Nine Yang Divine Skill was extremely compatible with Qian Renxue.
Xiao Wu, due to her spirit beast transformation, could bypass the female restriction and cultivate Nine Yang Divine Skill to replenish her Yang energy.
But even she could only train up to the second layer.
Yet Qian Renxue had no issues at all?!
A Strange Absorption
Normally,
Nine Yang Divine Skill enhanced the body, making it stronger and more masculine—
Muscles became harderPhysical endurance increasedThe Adam's apple became more prominentFacial hair grew thicker
Yet none of this happened to Qian Renxue.
All the Yang energy from the technique simply vanished.
Tang Lan narrowed his eyes.
'Tsk.'
'What a shame.'
'I was curious to see what Qian Renxue would look like with a beard.'
Sealing Her Fate
But more importantly—
Now, Qian Renxue's soul power had been transformed into Nine Yang Divine Skill's internal energy.
Paired with the Soul Seed he planted in her…
If she ever fought against him,
He could remotely drain her energy from a distance.
And if she ever wanted to remove the Nine Yang Divine Skill—
She only had two options:
Use a higher-level technique to replace it.Completely abolish her cultivation and start over.
Both of which were impossible for her.
She would never be able to escape his control!
Spreading the Infection
But there was an even bigger problem…
Would Qian Renxue keep this technique to herself?
No.
With how perfectly it matched her,
It was almost guaranteed that Qian Daoliu would also be able to cultivate it.
And what about the Worship Hall and Elder Hall?
Aside from Ghost Douluo, whose martial soul was incompatible,
Could the other Title Douluo really resist the temptation?
Especially when—
Tang Lan retracted his hand and casually added—
"Qinghe, the second layer will refine your body, cleanse impurities, and improve your overall talent."
"If you're stuck at a bottleneck, this will help push you through."
"Using fire-attribute herbs over 10,000 years old can accelerate the process."
"Later on, you'll be able to absorb fire-attribute herbs without side effects to boost your cultivation—as long as your spiritual power keeps up."
Qian Renxue's golden eyes sparkled with excitement!
This technique was insane!
It had to be spread throughout Spirit Hall!
Even if she ignored everything else,
The ability to "break through bottlenecks effortlessly" alone was enough to—
Make every bottlenecked Title Douluo immediately convert to this technique!
A Bold Proposition
"Little Lan, you are truly a genius!"
Qian Renxue spoke sincerely—
"I am willing to trade half of Heaven Dou Empire in exchange for you serving at my side."
Tang Lan immediately noticed something.
This time,
She used "I" instead of the usual "Qinghe."
So she was recruiting him as Qian Renxue, not Xue Qinghe?
—How could he not take advantage of this?